


Strangers, Ice Creams and IV's

by thebluesweater



Category: GOT7
Genre: Age Difference, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, I'm totally kidding that's for another story, Iron Deficiency Anemia, Jackson is Daddy, Jackson is older btw, M/M, Panic Attacks, and also a Respected Police Officer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8486107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebluesweater/pseuds/thebluesweater
Summary: Mark just wanted to buy food for his hibernation and Jackson just wanted ice cream. They both ended up in a hospital, though.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if the summary was misleading. I know, it's probably shit. In my defense, this was supposed to be a drabble.
> 
> Also, hey, its my first markson fic wooot!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The story is very much mine but the characters aren't unless stated. Like, Jade. Jade Wang is my character. Love him. Mistakes are mine too and this was only proofread by me, so yeah. Any repost of this story in any other platform/places besides this one from my profile won't be and is not allowed, so please, just don't.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a little after 9 in the evening with the crispy night breeze frostily touching on his skin, when Mark finally, _finally_ , got out of the university after turning his project over to his professor, and onto his planned hibernation in his dorm room for the next few days. To say that he was exhausted was the understatement of the year considering that he could count the number of hours of sleep he's had in the past month with his lithe fingers, hours and hours spent working on his final project and attending classes. Oh, the things people sacrifice to get a piece of paper as proof of their ability and credibility. _Money, sleep, life_. Mark sighed, he never understood why a single paper could hold so much power over someone’s life.

 

 _Humans are just generally weird_ , he mused as he rubbed his tired eyes with fisted hands and dragged himself one last block to his dorm building, fighting off a yawn.

 

It was a ten-minute walk from the university to his place and as Mark neared his destination, he also felt his body getting heavier and heavier with each sluggish step he took, the adrenaline and the caffeine were probably wearing off now that his brain had finally sent signals to his body that there was no deadline to meet and they could rest. He was lucky enough this time to get registered early and had gotten one of the single rooms; his little safe haven in the city. After two weeks of working on his PR proposal, staying cooped up in the library until the wee hours of the night, and going to the company to cross-check relevant information with them as well as get the new ones he needed (if the company allows it to be released to a mere student like him) that he had used for his project, the thought of his bed made his knees buckle in longing.

 

It was all worth it. Mark finished his project in time with no errors and regret. He was satisfied with his plan and himself. Cookie points for everyone.

 

The bright illumination of the convenience store across his dorm building distracted Mark from his sleep deprived musings about his latest achievement in life as he found himself stopping in front of it, a little bit dazed in his shoes, contemplating if whether he should buy groceries now to stock inside his little room before his imminent hibernation or worry about it later and sleep first. He decided against the latter when he thought about the three flights of stairs he will have had to go back down and up again just to buy groceries in the middle of his self-rewarded resting period. That was six flight of stairs all in all and Mark wasn't going to have any of it.

 

He pushed the door open and had to squint a little at how bright and white it was inside. The woman at the cashier counter greeted him with faux and practiced pleasantries, not even looking up at him, her kohl rimmed eyes trained on her phone.

 

 _Jesus fucking Christ, these lights are made to blind people._ His head throbbed a little and Mark lifted up a hand to shield his eyes away from the bright light and made his way with gusto to the microwaveable food section after nodding curtly at the direction of the cashier.

 

He picked up whatever food looked delicious to him ( _see: everything_ ) and piled them up inside the little basket that the store provided. He wasn’t really picky with his food, in fact, he loves eating to the point where his best friend Jinyoung hated him for it because _who fucking eats for three people in every meal and doesn’t gain weight? No, fuck you, Mark._ He could only smile at the sweet memory.

 

“I’d prefer the cookies ‘n cream flavour over that choco mint pint of ice cream in your right hand if I were you.” a deep yet pleasant voice spoke beside him and caused Mark to yelp in surprise, almost dropping the two pints of ice cream he was holding if he had not been fast enough to hug them both to his chest, which, by the way, wasn’t his best idea. He hissed at the coldness and immediately put both back down in the large refrigerator.

 

Slightly confused, Mark looked up at his side to see a man, older than him by four, five years, maybe? His hair was cut neat and short, styled up, the color of a raven’s feather, gleaming darkness under the white fluorescents in the store, a stark contrast to Mark’s ashen blonde hair that fall jusy above his brows and probably looked a little greasy by now. His eyes, a deep shade of melted sugar, were friendly and his lips were formed into a small smile that resembled that of a blue pokèmon’s, which Mark could not be bothered to remember because _holy shit_. The man was also wearing the local police’s uniform and it fit his body perfectly fine. Mark may have or have not always had a thing for tanned men who knew their gym well, the police outfit was just the cherry on top of _this_ cake.

 

 _Wait, that’s so unfair,_ Mark internally groaned in his demise. Really, Mark was well and truly fucked.

 

And of course, in unexpected situations like this where Mark was required to speak under pressure with no prior practice, he was deduced to monosyllabic, incoherent messes like, “Uh?”

 

_Great. Fuck it up, Kenneth. Literally._

 

Mark wanted the floor to probably open up and eat him alive.

 

A small laugh escaped the older man’s lips that sounded more like a cackling hyena than the soft angel chuckling Mark was currently comparing it with inside his mind. He was smitten, obviously, what can he do?

 

“Sorry that was weird. Suddenly, speaking to you. But yeah, if you wanna try that ice cream brand, I suggest you pick the cookies ‘n cream one because the choco mint has this weird aftertaste,” Mark saw the brows of the officer furrow as his voice turned softer in contemplation towards the end of his sentence, like he suddenly just thought of something. It made Mark curious but he realized he didn’t have to ask anymore when the man continued, uncertain, “But maybe that was just me?”

 

Mark felt the need to comfort him, like his life will be on the line if this man was to be unhappy for even a second, so he shook his head, too eager for his exhausted body, and it made his head throb again. Wincing, he pushed the feeling away, “No, no! I’ll try it. I’ll take your advice. Thank you, Officer.”

 

The smile that took over the dark haired man’s face was enough to blind an entire country and honestly, Mark wouldn’t mind.

 

“You won’t regret it, kid.” Hot Officer said and nodded at him before picking up two cookies ‘n cream flavoured pints of ice cream inside, handing one to him, still smiling.

 

Mark accepted the offer, feeling overwhelmed and a little bit more infatuated with the police officer _because how is this man so perfect_ and _will his awkward ass ever get his number?_

 

“Thank you. I’ll eat it prettily.” Mark bowed and said a little clumsily at that, and yeah, Mark probably should really get that sleep because his mind was becoming more of a muddle of words than a functioning filter.

 

Mark didn’t know if the officer looked offended or mad for a second when he straightened up from his bow but when he did, he thought he caught a glimpse of a hooded glint in his eyes. The officer’s lips were parted in a silent gasp that formed into a smirk, “I’m sure you will.” the officer replied before winking at him and going to the direction of the cashier to pay for his purchase, leaving Mark speechless and gaping in his tracks like a fish.

 

What was that? It looked like flirting to him but Mark was too sleep deprived to process what actually happened. It took him a moment to recover but when it did, Mark practically fished his phone out of his back pocket and dialed Jinyoung’s number.

 

“Hello-”

 

“Jinyoung! There’s this hot police officer who winked at me and I think I’m inlove, Jinyoung. This is love. He gave me ice cream.” Mark didn’t let Jinyoung finish his greetings and immediately rattled off his latest shenanigan.

 

“Hey, wai-”

 

“What do I do, Jinyoung? He’s probably about to leave the store now and I really, really want to get into his tight pants and possibly marry him because that ass is a God sent- but I’m too chicken to even ask for his name. Fuck my life.” Mark whispered in rapid fire, still holding onto the pint of ice cream. He was currently hiding in an aisle, keeping an eye on his apple who was now talking with the woman behind the cashier counter who was definitely taking everything in her power to stall his hot police officer. Mark narrowed his eyes, he knew that woman could not be trusted.

 

“Who? What woman are you talking about? Mark, if you do anything embarrassing or wrong right now because you got the hots for that officer, I swear, I am going to disown you.” Jinyoung warned him from the other line, his voice menacing.

 

“Oops? I didn’t mean it. I’m just not in my right mind right now, I guess.” he said, feeling somehow stupid for acting like an overly attached partner (for only a moment).

 

“What does he looked like anyway?” Jinyoung asked, interest piqued already. It was a rare occasion for Mark to call him about boys. It was usually the other way around.

 

At this, Mark immediately beamed at his phone, “Well, he looked- actually, let me take a picture of him and send it to you.”

 

“What? No, Mark-”

 

Mark dropped the call then clicked the camera app on his phone, willing it to _fucking start up faster_. Now, sane-Mark (and not sleep-deprived-Mark) would normally not do something reckless like taking a picture of (hot) strangers and risking the possibility of being mistaken for a weird pervert, but, this was not sane-Mark in charge of his mind right now. Add the fact that Mark was feeling woozier than before, his courage at doing something like this was on a level higher than normal. His body felt lighter but his head was still bothering him, like Thor was pounding onto his skull.

 

All the more reason why he should take the picture now. He told himself it’s just to show Jinyoung.

 

He strategically aimed the phone’s camera towards the counter and was shocked to see that the man was currently walking away and towards to the exit. Panic threatened to bubble inside Mark’s chest, he felt like his stomach dropped six feet under him and buried itself.

 

“Shit!” he cursed to himself when the automatic doors slid shut behind the older man’s back and Mark was left with nothing to do but to give in to his initial instinct: to follow and leave his basket of food behind. And the pint of ice cream.

 

The lady behind the counter gave him a suspicious look but Mark gave her no care at all as he rushed towards the exit. He was about to call it a loss when he spotted the man near a car parked on the side of the road a little further away from the store on his left. Mark silently mouthed his thanks towards the sky.

 

Sneakily, or as sneakily as he could in a well-lit road, Mark walked towards a post, hoping his lanky body will be hidden by the width of it. He didn't really have any plans before he ran outside the store and he’s now just realizing how creepy this must looked like but he convinced himself that he meant no harm and just one picture would be enough.

 

Giving himself a silent _fighting!_ (complete with the fist), Mark slowly peeked around the thick utility pole and felt as though his breath was knocked out of him.

 

The man was standing beside (his?) a car, phone in hand and another on his hip, head tilted towards the dark sky of the night, looking like he came out of a magazine. The yellow light of the street lamp above him accentuated the tan of his skin, making it glimmer golden and bronze, a beauty that could par up with the Gods of Olympus. Mark felt choked up and frozen in his tracks, hypnotized by the gorgeousness of the man.

 

No, seriously, his vision was starting to get dark like he’s actually about to drop dead in the middle of the street and he realized that he couldn’t stop clicking the capture button. Mark’s breath hitched when the officer lifted a feet and rested it on a tire, his leg muscles flexing in the process, Mark almost dropped his phone. The officer then turned and leaned in on the hood of the car looking like a model with his legs crossed and face angled in a way that the light above him cast shadows beautifully on the right places.

 

When he got satisfied and a little creeped out by himself, he hid behind the pole again and decided to check the pictures. Shaking away the dizziness he had been feeling, he giddily opened each one and thanked the curriculum for requiring him Photography subjects during his sophomore year. The photos all came out great and Mark wondered how the officer looked like an actual model in a photoshoot with each photo.

 

“Did you take them well? Wow, that shot is good. Can you give me a copy of that one?”

 

Jumping up in his place, Mark turned to see that the officer was now looking over his shoulder, a teasing grin on his lips as he addressed Mark. _No way this is happening_ , he thought but then a little voice at the back of Mark’s mind told him that this wasn’t far from what could really have happened considering Mark’s luck. The guilt, the shame and the embarrassment all hit him at once, rushing inside him like a maniac wreaking havoc in his head, making him feel smaller. It was no one’s fault why this was happening, Mark knew it very well, he couldn’t help but feel so stupid for being so reckless.

 

“I didn’t-,” Mark stuttered, looking like a deer in the headlights, paler in comparison to his previously pale appearance.

 

The officer snorted, oblivious to Mark’s inner turmoil, “You weren’t exactly sneaky, you know? Also, I even posed for you and the result looked really good. Do you think I should model?” the man asked distractedly and looked at the side, seriously seeming like he was contemplating the idea.

 

“I really- It wasn’t… I just-” Mark hiccuped. Suddenly, it was harder for Mark to breathe and he couldn't blame anyone else for it but himself. It’s all his fault.

 

The officer looked at him with concern in his eyes, “Hey, are you okay? You look- Fuck, hey, kid, it's okay! You can take pictures of me. Breathe. Jesus.” The officer closed the remaining distance between them and gingerly put his hands on Mark’s shoulders.

 

He shivered at the soft touch as he shut his eyes firmly, willing his body to calm down but his throat would not listen to him as it closed up, limiting his breathing. He knew everything was a bad idea but he still threw caution to the wind, he never learned. The ground underneath his feet swayed and he gasped for the air that seemed to move far away from him with every second that passed, so he blindly grasped onto the arms supporting him. He was choking up on the lack of air, coughing as if it will help him take in oxygen as much as he released. Knees wobbly, he tried to open his eyes but only sees a blurry dim so he shut them closed again and tried to listened to the words being whispered onto him.

 

“Hey, kid, breathe with me okay? Breathe in,” the soft voice soothing him was what Mark tried to focus his muddled mind on, and he did as told, “Slowly, breathe out. Okay, okay let’s do it again.”

 

And they did. The officer spoke and commanded him, and Mark did nothing but listened and obeyed, ironically feeling safe in the warm embrace of a stranger.

 

Suddenly, the air that seemed so far away from him, Mark could reach it again and he held on tight to it. His mind cleared, but still on a woozy state. His body felt heavy, his mind was serene like he could sleep here and now.

 

“Wait, are you sleeping?” were the last words he heard before he gave in to what his body had been wanting to do ever since the moment he stepped foot outside his university.

 

 

 

The overlapping sounds of muffled chatters that poured and filled in Mark’s senses became clearer as soon as he came to; the sprinkle of oranges in the midst of the black abyss behind his eyelids told him that he was in a well-lit place. He tried to blink his eyes open but the offending bright lights glared back at him, sending shots of painful pricks straight to his head, so he shut them close again.

 

He groaned from where he was lying, a bed, he figured out sooner when he tried to move a while ago. It was stiff behind Mark’s back and a little uncomfortable but he supposed that it would do for the mean time. Besides the onslaught of mortifying headache that was rendering him motionless and his past hangovers a walk in the park, there was a needle, struck in the inside of his elbow, which was connected to an IV. That was how Mark figured out that he was in a hospital, inside the ER where there was, he thought and it seemed to be based on the cries, a man with a knife stabbed in his fucking thigh lying in bed next to his, with only a thick green curtain separating Mark from him.

 

Mark wanted to leave. Right fucking now, if possible. He was in the middle of contemplating his chances of surviving if he pulled out the IV needle stuck in him so he could escape, when the curtain to his area slid opened.

 

“Oh, you’re awake!” the man with the raven coloured hair exclaimed. Mark needed to know if he dyed it black or if that was his natural hair colour and if it was as soft as it looked to the touch. Wait. Priorities.

 

“What…” Mark uttered incoherently. He was feeling a bit groggy, his mind still sluggish from having just woken up, but he had a clear recollection of what went down with him and this man in front of the convenience store (or what didn’t went down). The rush of the memories sent blood pooling in his cheeks and Mark hoped they weren’t as visible as he was feeling them to be.

 

The officer smiled (still in his uniform but with a big and stuffy navy blue jacket on him, he looks cute in it) warmly at Mark and he swooned a little inside. “You fainted after you panicked on me so I kinda freaked out and brought you to a hospital,” the cute (but still hot) officer explained to him, taking a seat on the stool beside Mark’s stiff bed, “It’s a good thing I did, though. The doctor said you have some kind of iron-deficiency anemia.”

 

Mark frowned, only getting the gist of what he said and was too busy appreciating how the officer’s lashes were casting shadows on his cheeks, making him looked really pretty. He was a goner and Mark knew it, he’s just worshiping this man more and more the more time he spend with him. “Ane… mia? I feel perfectly well… before, though.” he heard himself said. It was true, Mark was pretty sure he was a fine and healthy human being before.

 

The man clucked his tongue in an act of annoyance and snapped at him, “Well, clearly, you weren’t taking care of your health if the doctor deemed that you lack iron in your body enough to put you in an IV.”

 

Surprised by the sudden change in the previously friendly demeanor of the officer, Mark shrunk in his bed, burying himself in guilt and in the hospital blankets. Now that he was forced to look back at his actions, he realized that besides the lack of sleep he’s had in the past month, he was also neglecting eating proper food in time. So,yeah, clearly, Mark deserved the scolding he was just put into. He felt ashamed, he must have bothered the officer a lot by putting him in this situation when he was probably about to go home until Mark stumbled upon him in the convenience store.

 

“I’m sorry for dragging you in this mess, officer.” Mark whispered, eyes trained on the blanket.

 

“Oh, come on, kid. I didn’t mean it like that.” the officer spoke softly. Taken aback, Mark’s eyes immediately turned to the officer, and for the first time in the night, their eyes met.

 

It was nothing like how the books or the movies described it. Mark felt no spark of electricity in their gazes nor he felt the crackle of fire igniting in him. All he felt in his eyes was safeness in its serenity. His eyes were the hue of melted sugar, velvet swirls in his irises like honey. It was a deep abyss that offered various tales, and Mark couldn’t help but want to fall into it, explore each story like a wanderer, felt like he could because it was safe. His eyes were telling Mark to jump, because there was someone who’s going to catch him at the end.

 

Mark was drawn into his eyes like a sunflower to a sun.

 

His throat was dry, and it wasn’t possible for someone to actually fall in love overnight, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He didn’t even know the name of the man he was with, for Christ’s sake. _It’s a simple crush_ , he told himself. He cleared his throat and tried to swallow saliva and lubricate it as much as possible, “Thank you.” he let the words slipped and hoped that it sounded sincere as he was feeling.

 

The man’s lips formed into a soft smile and his hand shot up from his lap, for a moment, he looked like he wanted to ruffle Mark’s hair but decided against it at the last minute and placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it, “It’s cool, kid. I’m just glad it was me who you fainted on and not some other person.” Mark didn’t noticed the slight dim in the officer’s appearance.

 

He felt his cheeks burn a little with the officer’s words. He must have meant it as what it was but Mark couldn’t help but put more meaning into them. “Yeah, I’m glad it was you,” he breathed and gave the man a tired but genuine smile. Mark hadn’t realized it yet that he meant the words with every fiber of his being. “I’m really sorry for being a bother. I must have kept you from doing what you intended to do before this. You should go.”

 

“Ah, that would be a little... Well, while I was taking you to the hospital, your phone rang. Naturally, I won’t answer someone else’s phone unless they want me to, but this was an emergency,” the officer stopped and realized he must have been rambling, which, to Mark, was just adorable, “To cut it short, your friend, Jinyoung? Threatened to cut my dick off and feed it to me raw if I don’t accompany you until he’s secured an uber and had safely arrived here to be with you.”

 

There was silence between them for a moment to which Mark broke when he burst out in fits of laughter behind his hand, “Oh my Gosh. That sounded something that will really come out of Jinyoung’s mouth.”

 

The officer pouted, “Hey, it wasn’t funny. Your friend was really convincing and I treasure my future generation.”

 

“But you’re a police, isn’t it punishable by law if someone threatened your authority?” Mark laughed even harder. He couldn’t believe that he already exchanged a conversation with this man that had something to do with dick in it. In retaliation, a pain shot through his body and he winced in between his giggles, “Ow, don’t make me laugh. My head is aching and it actually feels like Moses has come to part my skull into two.” he moaned in pain and cursed the Heavens for putting him through suffering in the middle of talking with the maybe-love-of-his-life.

 

The man snorted and offered Mark the glass of water from the small table beside his bed (that he failed to notice). He gladly accepted the water and drank its content in one go to calm himself down.

 

“I’m Jackson, by the way. Jackson Wang.” the man, Jackson, suddenly said.

 

“Mark Tuan,” he said, more so a reflex and an exhale than an actual response. His brain might have short-circuited at the information that was just dropped on him and the glass might have slipped a little in his hand so he decided to put it back on the table, he was suddenly speechless. Mark didn’t know what he was expecting, all he knew was that his name was perfect and nothing less of what Mark expected it to be.

 

“Officer Jackson Wang.” Mark tested in his tongue and lips a little bit later on, and it might have came out a little bit dreamy and breathless but Mark loved every syllable of it.

 

Jackson looked surprised for a moment, but then his lips broke into a huge smile, his eyes sparkling with fondness and pride, Mark didn’t know. After giving him a curt nod, Jackson boyishly grinned at him, “Officer Wang at your service.”

 

Mark just might have given a little piece of his heart away in that moment.

 

“Mark?!” a panicked voice reverberated inside the small private area (as private as the curtains could provide them), and Mark was suddenly back in the hospital. The noise outside of his and Jackson’s little place suddenly came pouring back, loud and chaotic. With Jackson, Mark forgot that he was in the ER and that there was a man with a knife in his thigh just one curtain away from him.

 

The heavy green curtain was pulled to the side and showed a worried Jinyoung, looking out of breath and like he had just finishes running a marathon. Mark felt a pinch of guilt for wishing for a little more time with Jackson. His best friend must have been worried sick when he heard the news and here he was, batting his lashes to a guy.

 

With a weak wave, Mark tried to give Jinyoung a placating smile, “Hey, Jinyoung.”

 

“You idiot!” Jinyoung closed the remaining distance between them and crushed him in a bear hug. “I was worried! Never do something like that again.”

 

“It’s okay, Nyoung. I’m fine. Look, I didn’t die, did I?” Mark tried to make a joke out of it but he knew how worried Jinyoung must have been. Sighing, he returned the hug to appease his friend’s concern as much as he could with one of his arms connected to an IV.

 

Sniffing Jinyoung, reluctantly let him go, “You are such a shit, you know? I had to threaten the dude who answered your phone just so I can ensure your safety”

 

Mark chuckled, “Yeah, thank you. Which reminds me,” he finally looked at Jackson, acknowledging his presence for the first time after Jinyoung barged in, who looked like he was half amused and still half frightened by the storm that was his best friend, “You didn’t have to threaten a police officer, you know?”

 

At that, Jinyoung’s eyes widened, “What?” he said flatly, gaze finally settling on Jackson and taking in his appearance. “Oh my God. You’re _the_ police officer?”

 

Mark regretted his life choices. Well, in fact, he just regretted befriending Jinyoung Park.

 

“Uhm yeah, I’m a police officer but not the police officer. I’m Jackson Wang.” Jackson looked confused and amused. Mark wanted to die.

 

“No. You’re clearly the police officer that Mark was talking abo-” Mark immediately covered his friend’s loud mouth before he could say anything that will embarrass him more, muffling his next words.

 

“I think Officer Wang has to go now. We don’t wanna take up much of your time anymore.” Mark said, looking at Jackson apologetically.

 

For a brief moment, Jackson looked disappointed but then it vanished and was replaced with a calculated look. He nodded at their direction before he stood up, “Yeah, I’ll go now. I hope you feel well soon, Mark. Please, eat properly from now on and look after your health more.”

 

Mark bit his lip, “I will. Thank you.”

 

“See you around, Mark.” after giving him the most sincere smile, Jackson turned to leave, not forgetting to slid the curtain closed behind him to give them a little privacy.

 

Mark sighed dreamily as he plopped back down to the bed, unconsciously releasing Jinyoung from his death grip, looking at where Jackson used to sit at.

 

“Excuse me, what was that?”

 

“Shut up, Jinyoung. I’m having a moment here.”

 

Jinyoung scoffed and proceeded to lay down and squeezed himself beside Mark on the bed, “Rude,” Jinyoung off-handedly said and after shifting in the narrow bed and finding the perfect position, he piped up again, curiosity and wonder in his voice, “Did you even get his number?”

 

“I… didn’t.” Mark flatly said. Somehow, he couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed about it. He felt content. “I got his name, though?”

 

His friend hummed, “But you still should have gotten his number.” Jinyoung stated matter of factly more than insisted.

 

Mark ignored his best friend and just lied there being cuddled by him, his mind was off to someone with a clean cut and honeyed smile.

 

It was silent in their space as Mark drifted on and off after Jinyoung told him that the doctor said he would be free to go after emptying the IV bag in his system and had received the doctor's prescription. Mark mostly just slept as Jinyoung exchanged texts with his not-boyfriend when he got tired of cuddling him.

 

Mark dreamed of eating ice creams with someone at a wooden bench under a lamp post that night. He couldn’t remember the face of the person but he had a hunch as to who it was.

 

 

 

It was months later when Mark found himself outside a cozy house, sweating buckets under the summer sun. There was probably a heat wave that the morning news anchor broadcasted earlier but Mark missed it, just like his alarm. He wasn’t late, though, because he ran his butt off after getting off the bus just to be on time in his first tutoring session. Yeah, yeah, clichè, Mark knew it. He was a broke student and he needed the money. The offer was good so he took the job when it was presented to him. Plus, the house of the child was just one bus away.

 

Without further ado, Mark rang the doorbell and waited for the owner of the house to open it. He was hoping that the inside would have an air condition but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?

 

The door cracked open in the middle of Mark’s sentiment and he quickly plastered on a smile that he knew would melt anyone’s heart in no time. It was a kid who opened it, not even ten years of age, his eyes were curious and brown, outlined with thick lashes. The little boy tilted his head to the side, “Are you my tutor?”

 

Mark’s smile turned sincere and soft as he crouched down to get on the boy’s eye level, “Hi, cutie. Yeah, I’m your tutor. Where’s Mommy?”

 

“Jade Wang, how many times do I have to tell you to not answer the door by yourself?” Mark heard a man from the inside. It sounded familiar, but Mark dismissed the feeling. _‘Must’ve been his dad_ , he mused.

 

The door opened wider and Mark stood up to greet the boy’s dad properly.

 

“Mark?” the voice exclaimed and Mark snapped his eyes up. Their gazes met, suddenly, Mark felt like he was in a trance. The pull that he hadn’t felt in a while was present again, filling him with emotions from the past.

 

Mark felt like his world could stop and run a marathon at the same time, “Jackson?”

 

Fate must have had more plans for both of them. Mark wasn’t sure if he could handle it.

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't be possible if Angie didn't urge me into doing this so if there're any casualties while reading the fic, blame her, DM me if you need her twitter.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
> 
> Constructive criticisms, suggestions, and comments are very much appreciated to improve and motivate me and my writing skills.


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